Alaska Department Of Public Safety,State Troopers Public Information Office

Dispatch Text:

Update: February 8, 2025, after two days of searching and no new updates, Alaska Wildlife Troopers are transitioning to a reactive search. Next of kin for both families have been notified. The two missing persons are identified as Sean Kendall, 42 years old, from Anchorage and Skye Rench, 32 years old, from Wasilla.

This dispatch has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Sean Kendall's last name. It is spelled with two L's. 

Original: On March 6, 2025, Alaska Wildlife Troopers received a report that a side-by-side ATV with five adults aboard broke through the ice on the Susitna River around 8:45 a.m. Three people were able to get out of the water, but two were reported to have gone under the ice in the current. Troopers responded to the area with DPS Helo-9 and a DPS fixed wing plane to search for the two missing people at the last known location, downstream to the mouth of the Susitna River. Search efforts are ongoing, including DPS aircraft and aircraft from the Civil Air Patrol. Ice in the area is unstable and search efforts other than by aircraft are not possible at this time. The three people who made it safely out of the water walked to a nearby work camp and were later picked up by chartered helicopter. They declined medical assistance.

This dispatch has been updated to correct the location of the incident. The group broke through the ice on the Susitna River.